Ref, doc hit on death of Aussie vs Pinoy fighter

SYDNEY – The ringside doctor at a fight where an Australian boxer died should have intervened when he showed signs of concussion, a Sydney coroner found Thursday, while also criticizing the referee for not stopping the bout.

Davey Browne Jr. died in hospital from a brain injury four days after he was knocked out 30 seconds from the end of the super featherweight 12-round contest against Carlo Magali of the Philippines in Sydney in September 2015.

Deputy New South Wales state coroner, magistrate Teresa O’Sullivan, said the 28-yearold father-of-two’s death was “preventable”.

“The seriousness of his condition at the end of round 11 was recognized by a number of witnesses present at the time, albeit with the benefit of hindsight,” she said in her findings.

“Action could have been taken to examine Davey and stop the fight prior to the point when it ended in the 12th round.”

O’Sullivan criticized attending physician Lawrence Noonan, who said he did not act because the referee had not stopped the fight, and recommended that a ringside doctor’s obligations to intervene should be strengthened.

She described Noonan’s approach as a “manifestly inadequate method to assess whether Davey had sustained or recovered from concussion and whether he was fit to continue”, and also censured referee Charlie Lucas.